Networks-on-Chip (NoCs), for on-die communication between cores, are important in enabling scalable performance as the number of cores increases in multi-core processors and SOCs. Multi-core processors are often organized as an array of processors coupled with a local cache. The processor-level cache memory may be distributed across the die and accessed using an NoC. Complex data structures such as graphs, trees and linked-lists may be distributed among the processor-level cache memory. Accessing a node from one of these data structures may involve performing multiple pointer-dereferences. These sequential pointer dereferences are often referred to as pointer chasing.
Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.